Apparatus for separating oil and gas direct from wells



A. NI. BALLARD.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING OIL AND GAS DIRECT FROM WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1919.

1,327,691,, Patented Jan. 13, Min.

' UNITED STATES PATENT ornron ALBERT M. BALLARD, OF DRUMRIGHT, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR TO SUIT COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

Application filed March 12, 1919. Serial No. 282,141.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT M. BALLARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Drumright, county of Greek, and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Separating Oil and Gas from Wells, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Practically every oil well produces a certain amount of gas, which, in ordinary circumstances, is allowed to escape into the air and is thus wasted. Theobject of my invention is to separate the gas from the oil as they come from the well and convey the oil to the stock tanks and the gas to any suitable reservoir or compressor, thereby saving and utilizing each separately.

My invention comprises a separating tank having certain novel characteristics of structure and arrangement and a certain mode of operation adapted to secure the aforementioned result in an entirely automatic manner. A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, which is an elevational view, partly in section, of the separating tank.

A pipe 6, for admission of gas and oil, extends downward into the flow tank a. The tank a is provided with an oil outlet pipe 0 leading to the stock tanks, a gas outlet d leading to the compressor, and a drain pipe e. Extending vertically through the tank is a-rod f, on which is slid-able a float g.'

On the rod f are stops it and i limiting, respectively, the downward and upward movements of the float, A vertically extending guide rod 9', having lateral arms secured to the guide rodj, is slidably engaged by a short arm is pro ecting laterally from the float, thereby preventing the float from turning. The oil and gas inlet pipe 6 extends to a point in the tank below the top of the float 9 when the latter is in its lowest sition.

In the oil outlet pipe 0 is a valve m. In the gas outlet pipe (l is a valve n; The valve m is connected, by means of a link 0, with a rod .11 depending from the float g.

Thevalve n is connected, by means of a. link 0, with the upper end of a rod 8 attached to the float g. For alternative operation, as hereinafter described, the oil outlet pipe at may be equipped-with a check valve t.

At the beginning of the operation, the parts are in the positions shown in the drawings, the valve on being closed and the valve n open. Gas and oil entering the tank through the pipe I) strike the bottom of the. tank and react upwardly against the bottom of the float g, tending to lift it. The gas fills the tank and escapes through the pipe at. After the level of the oil rises above the bottom of the float, the latter rises, thereby opening the valve m on the oil line and throttling or closing the valve 71 on the gas line. This allows the oil to drain into the stock tanks. As the oil recedes, the float g falls, causing the valve n on the gas line to again open and closing the valve m on the oil line, thus shutting ofi egress of 011 and allowing gas to again freely flow to the compressor. The stopsviz. and z'limit the vertical movement of the float in both directions, the float being prevented, by means Of the guide rod j, from turning and throwing any strain upon the connections to the valves.

When using the tank under vacuum, the check valve t is operative. The vacuum on the tank will maintain valve 15 closed until the float g rises to close the gas outlet valve n,

at which time the weight of the oil plus the pressure of gas will open the check valve t and allow oil to drain'into the stock tanks.

When the oil recedes to a lower level, the

float 9 will fall sufliciently to open the gas outlet valve 11 allowing the vacuum to accumulate on the flow tank and again close the oil outlet check valve t.

Having now'fully described my invention, what I claim-and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

In an oil and gas separator, the combination with a tank havmg a gas outlet arranged at a relatively high elevation and an oil outlet arranged at a relatively low elevation, of a float in the tank, an 011 and as inlet ipe o ening into the tank, a va ve contra mg e gas outlet,'connect1ons between the float and the gas outlet valve on the float slidably engaging the second adapted to close the latter as the'level of the guide rod and thereby holding the float from oil rises and lifts the float, a valve controlrotating on the first guide rod. 10 ling the oil outlet, a rod extending vertically In testimony of which invention, I have through the float'along Which the float is hereunto setmy hand, at Tulsa, Okla., on vertically guided, another vertically extendthis 6 day of March, 1919.

ing guide rod outside the float, and means ALBERT M. BALLARD. 

